A Red Head's Tale
by Go.Marauders.and.Lily
Summary: This story features Lily Evans (turned Potter) from first year on up. Though she has a bit of a temper at times, she is also a fierce friend, a Gryffindor through and through. Read as she deals with Severus, Petunia, her roommates, and James Potter, the arrogant toe-rag she swore to hate and grew to love. She may be magic, but not much is different about this girl's teenage years.
1. On the way to Howarts

**A/N: Hello people who have taken the time to read this story! This is my first idea I have actually posted on fanfiction, so I would like everyone to review it, unless, of course, you think it's stupid. I enjoy constructive critisim, I like that you are taking the time to make my writing better, but please don't send hate reviews. This story is all about Lily Evans/Potter, and her life at Hogwarts. I want to go all the way to seventh year, but I don't know how that will work out yet, it's a lot of writing. I'm hoping to update fairly frequently, so stay with me! I might need a few reminders to update some times, just PM me or something. Well, enough of my rambling, enjoy!**

*Lily's POV*

"Mom, get up, we have to leave for the train station in ten minutes! I can't be late, how horrible would it be to miss the very first day of school!" I grinned as I ate my pancakes. We didn't really have to leave in ten minutes, but this was the best way to get my mom up. I heard her upstairs, rushing about to get dressed. About five minutes later I yell up, "Oh, nevermind, I misread the clock, we have an _hour_ anad ten minutes, but now that you're up, would you like some pancakes?" I smile innocently up the staircase.

"Lily Evans, don't do that! How would you like it if I went back to bed and when we really did have to leave, I didn't believe you when you tried to get me up, so you really were late." My mother said this all very fast, but you could tell underneath her stern voice she was impressed with my skills.

"But what fun would that be?" I grinned up at her, but she just rolled her eyes.

I was confused. Befuddled. Confuzzled. We were at the train station, but I couldn't find my train. _This_ was a problem. My ticket said Platform 9 3/4. But I don't know where that is. Neither does my mom. Or my dad. And Tuney _especially_ doesn't know. In fact, she's been rather mean about me being magic. She says I'm a freak, and that's it's good I'm being sent to a school for freaks, to keep us away from normal people. Anyways, I couldn't find the Platform. Sure, there were people congragating around the barrier between Platforms 9 and 10,but every time I tried to get a closer look, they vanished. Trying to figure out what to do, I overheard someone use the term, "Muggle." I, knowing this to be a description of people like my parents or Tuney (non-magic folk), swiveled around to see a tall, skinny boy with untidy hair and glasses with two older people, who I assumed were his parents.

I ignored the boy, but politely walked up to his parents and asked,"Excuse me, but I'm muggle-born and I was wondering, how do I get onto the Platform?"

"Why young lady, are you telling me the Ministry folk didn't tell you? It's standard procedure!" said the father, with a disappointed look on his countanance.

"Their standards have fallen ever since you retired dear," the old woman said affectionately to her husband. Behind them, the boy made a gagging motion. I giggled. He was sorta cute... But of course, I would never judge a person by their looks alone. That would be insufferably shallow of me.

"Well dear, you just follow us, and we'll take you to the Platform. Oh, and bring you family too," said the kind mother of the boy. I motioned to my family, telling them to follow, and walked at a steady pace behind the old folks who had offered to help me (Well, techinically, I had asked them, but they had provided information, so I feel justified in using the word "offered"). Then, we arrived at the barrier. I gave the family a confused look, wondering what we were doing here.

"Alright James, why don't you show- er, sorry, I've forgotten to ask your name havent' I?" inquired the old man.

"I'm Lily Evans, these are my parents, and this is my sister, Tu- Petunia," I blushed, I had almost called my sister Tuney- in public!

"Nice to meet you. I am Mr. Potter, this is my wife, and this is our son, James. Well, James, why don't you show Lily how it's done!" the old man gave his son a conspirital wink, and the boy charged into the barrier, not a care in the world.

I stared in bewilderment as the boy charged into the barrier, confident as could be. I was sure he was going to crash, but when he reached the apparently solid brick wall, he disappeared.

"Wait! What happened! Where did he go?" at the note of panic in my voice, the Potters smiled. However, I didn't find it funny in the slightest. Their son had just disappeared for heaven's sake! I would have thought such a loving couple would be worried, but they seemed to think this was a perfectly normal occurance.

"Go ahead dear, you might want to take it at a bit of a run if you're nervous. Take you sister with you, she won't be able to cross the barrier unless she's holding your hand. We'll take care of your parents," Mr. Potter said this in a level-headed tone, as if this was completely normal (which it wasn't). Nervously, I glanced at Petunia, and offered her my hand. She seemed to be battling emotions. She had told me she never wanted anything to do with Hogwarts, but I could tell she really was curious what was behind that wall.

Seeing her hesitancy, Mrs. Potter said, "Oh, go on dear, on little look won't kill you."

I shot her a grateful look as Petunia took my hand and wispered, "Fine, but don't you try any funny buissness, or your life will be miserable over the Christmas Holidays." That quickly wiped the grin off my face, but soon I was charging through the barrier, too scared to keep my eyes open, when I bumped into something. No, it wasn't the wall, but it was the Potter boy, as I had taken to calling him in my head.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't see you," I said to the boy, blushing at my stupidity. Or was it his? After all, he was the one standing right in front of the barrier, not me.

"Well I suppose not, having your eyes closed and all," he teased. "We better moved out of the way-"

"Oh, like you did?" I grinned secretly to myself. I was enjoying taunting him.

"Yeah, right," the boy rolled his eyes, then continued, "Our parents will be coming through the barrier any minute now."

"Bye Mum! Bye Dad!" I yelled out the window as the steam engine pulled away from the station. "Bye Tuney!" Oops! Drat, I really should watch what I call her, she hates being called that in pulic. "Sorry Petunia!" I waved and sat down in my seat next to Severus, who I had (finally) found in the station. As soon as I found him, the Potter boy left, probably thinking the worst of Severus, who honestly needs a lesson in personal hygiene, but I never told him that, his life was terrible enough as it is.

Then, four boys entered our compartment, saying that "everywhere else was full." I knew for a fact that they had just been occupying a compartment across the hall. They quickly introduced themselves. The first boy had shaggy light brown hair, and blue eyes. He was skinny and had rings under his eyes, but he looked amazed that he was he was even on the train, which is honestly how I felt myself. He told us his name was Remus J. Lupin, but wouldn't admit what his middle name was. The next to introduce himself was a bold boy with a slightly superior look on his face. He had almost shoulder-length black hair, and eyes that glittered like a beetle's. He told us his name was Sirius Black, and then rudely questioned Severus if he even owned a bottle of shampoo, a comment which he thankfully ignored, as a disgruntled Severus was not one to be trifeled with. The last time someone had made him truly angry a branch had fallen off a tree and hit Tuney on the head, sending her home in tears. The third boy was James Potter, who looked, if anything, more adorable with his glasses askew over his eyes, which were the colour of carmel. But I pushed these thoughts out of my head, I hardly could say I knew him, and I didn't know what his personality was like at all. After all, "love at first sight" was hardly realistic, after all, you can't judge a book by its cover. The last boy had small watery blue eyes, mousy brown hair, and was, in all honesty, a bit on the pudgy side. He was really quiet, and you could tell he was really just a tag-along, the other boys had just found him all alone and had taken him under their wing. Then, everything took a turn for the worse.

**A/N: Hey! While writing this chapter I almost forgot about Severus! I can't believe it! But I remembered quickly enough. If you want to know more about me, visit my profile, I like updating it a lot, so it tends to pretty interesting, in my oh-so-humble opinion.:)**


	2. Severus Snape

**A/N: Hey! So, thank you to the people who have reviewed my stories, or even read it at all. I know many of you have lives, but I want as many people as possible to review. Here: I'll make you a deal, if you thoughtfully review my story, I will read one of your stories and review them for you. Sound good? Any-who, I took some of this chapter from the seventh book, but with some insight on Lily's perspective. Just letting you know **

_Then, everything took a turn for the worse…_

There was an awkward silence that filled the compartment. Severus, was sitting opposite of me. It couldn't help bring up painful memories of a few weeks ago. Severus looked like he was about to say something, but I didn't want to hear it right then. The only reason I had met up with him in the first place was because his father was yelling at him again and I felt sorry for him. Now though, not so much.

"I don't want to talk to you," I said, my tone sad, frustrated, and angry.

"Why not?" Severus looked hurt at this news, but it was hard to tell with him, he never showed much emotion to the outside world.

"Tuney h-hates me. Because we saw that letter from Dumbledore." This was true, we had been drifting apart ever since Severus had told me I was a witch. But when I talked to her about the letter, she blew up, she said I was a freak. It tore me apart.

"So what?" I couldn't believe the nerve of him! How dare he say that! "So, she's my sister!" I was crying again, and I heard him mumble something, but didn't quite catch what he said, I was trying to wipe my eyes without being noticed by anyone in the compartment.

"But we're going!" he said, unable to suppress the exhilaration in his voice. "This is it! We're off to Hogwarts!"

I was still sad, but Severus knew just how to make me happy again. His enthusiasm that was rarely shown caused me to smile in spite of myself.

"You'd better be in Slytherin," Severus said to me, seemingly encouraged that I had smiled at him.

Then the Potter boy raised his head. "Slytherin?" he said. "Who wants to be in Slytherin?" The tone of disgust was evident in his voice. "I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?" He said to the boy opposite him, Sirius Black.

Sighing, Sirius said, "My whole family has been in Slytherin," he told the Potter boy.

"Blimey," said the Potter boy, "and I thought you seemed all right!" I couldn't believe he would judge someone by what House they were in! Although, they did seem to be sorted by personality traits, according to Severus's description. But he hadn't made Slytherin seem that bad…

Sirius grinned. "Maybe I'll be the first to break the tradition. Where are you headed, if you've got the choice?"

The Potter boy lifted an invisible sword. "Gryffindor, where the brave dwell at heart! Like my dad."

Severus made a small, disparaging noise. The Potter boy turned on him.

"Got a problem with that? He said viciously. How could he be so mean? He had seemed nice enough to me earlier, why not now?

"No," Severus replied. He had a small sneer in his voice I had never heard unless he was talking about his family or home life. He gave the boys a superior look. "If you'd rather be brawny than brainy-"

"Where're you hoping to go, seeing you're neither?" interjected Sirius.

That Potter boy roared with laughter. What he found so funny, I don't know, but it was extremely mean and immature. I could tell it had hurt Severus' feelings, even if he didn't show it. I gave the boys a disgusted look. Although Remus and Peter hadn't done anything, I still marked all four as trouble makers. They hadn't done anything to prevent the scene either, which was just as bad.

"Come on Severus, let's find another compartment." I told him as I stood up and gathered my things.

"Oooooo…" That evil Potter boy and Sirius imitated my voice, and that Potter boy tried to trip Severus as he passed. Oh, how I hated those boys!

"See ya, Snivellus!" someone's voice called after us. I slammed the door, hoping the boys would now know my fury and steer clear of me at all costs.

Severus and I wandered around for a bit, until we found a compartment with only two other girls inside.

"May we join you?" I asked them politely. "We had to leave our other compartment because some ride boys infiltrated .

"Sure," said one. The girl had bright blonde hair and very pretty blue eyes that reflected the light. She was painting her nails with a different color of shimmering nail polish on each finger nail. Her hair was pulled up into a high pony-tail secured with a clear elastic band.

"My name is Lily Evans, by the way. And this is Severus Snape."

"That's an interesting name," said the other girl. "It's kind of like mine, Mary MacDonald. The same consonant at the beginning of each." Mary had light brown hair and eyes, and a kind smile. I could already tell we would be best friends. She was reading a book! It was _Hogwarts a History_ by Bathilda Bagshot. It was a really intriguing book, I read it the third day after returning from Florish and Blotts, right after all of my course books.

"And I'm Alice Prewett. Can you believe we are finally going to Hogwarts! I've been waiting to be eleven for years just so I could come here!"

"I know," Mary chimed in excitedly, putting down her book. "My older brother is a third year now, he gets to go to Hogsmeade, isn't he sooooooooooooo lucky?"

"Well, I'm a muggle-born, but I live near Severus. He told me I was a witch when I was nine. I've been waiting to go ever since then. From everything I've heard, it sounds amazing!" My bright green eyes lit up as I said this. I was soooo excited!

"Yeah!" Alice said, "It is really amazing. I can't wait to find out what house I'll be in can, can you?"

"Uh, yeah." I said, glancing at Severus. I was afraid he'd get into another argument.

Mary, sensing this was a delicate topic, quickly changed the subject. "Hey, it looks like the trolley is coming, do you guys want anything, my treat."

"Oooh!" said Alice, "I want a chocolate frog! I still need Helga Hufflepuff for my collection."

The rest of the train ride continued in a similar fashion. I could tell Severus was bored, but I didn't really know how to bring him back into the conversation. He pretty much spent the rest of the train ride starring out the window or at me, which was kind of creepy.

Once we finally got to Hogwarts, the night became a blur. I was sorted in Gryffindor, and Severus, just like he hoped. But he didn't seem as happy as he might have been if I had been in Slytherin with him. He never really had too many friends, so he stuck by the ones he got. The dinner was amazing. I'll get over it. Even when you thought you could eat no more, suddenly you would spied something else you wanted to try, and your hunger would return. We followed the prefects up to the commons rooms, and were pointed the way to our dorms. I shared a room with the two girls I had met on the train, Alice Prewett and Mary MacDonald, and two other girls named Marlene and Emme. We were so exhausted and stuffed that we all practically fell asleep before our head hit the pillow. The next morning I woke up early. I had to impress my new teachers that day. It was our first day of classes.

**A/N: So, how did you likey? Remember my promise about reviewing! Oh, and if you want to be weirded out, visit my profile and answer the poll! Remember, go in the order of which I typed the numbers, otherwise it could be confusing!**


	3. Classes

A/N: Hey, hey, hey! Thanks to those who've read this story, it really means a lot to me. Remember, to each of those who review this story, I will review one of yours! It can be like an early birthday present to me if you review! (It's in December!) So... yeah, think that's all I wanted to say!:)

I woke up early that morning , 6:30 actually. Classes started at 9:00 AM, and I wanted to make a good impression on all of my teachers. I finished my usual morning routine at 7:45 exactly. It felt wonderful to shower, do my hair, and get dressed without Petunia banging on the door and shouting, "Hurry up, you freak!"

The other girls in my dorm started to wake up around 7:30ish. I waited until they got ready, then we all went down to the Great Hall for breakfast. A stern-looking witch was passing out the Gryffindor schedules. She introduced herself as Professor MacGonagoll, the head of Gryffindor house. Just as she was finishing, shouts of surprise and joy filled the spacious room. Hundreds of owls flew into the room. They fluttered to and fro, landing on the tables and some of the clumsier ones knocking over drinks.

"What's going on" I asked Alice. She was from a family of all witches and wizards, so I figured she would know best.

"Oh, the owls are just delivering the mail," she replied. My face must have still shown my confusion, because she then elaborated, "Letters from home, forgotten items, care packages, presents, and the Daily Prophet. That's the wizarding newspaper, by the way."

"Wow," I breathed. I was at a loss for words. I' hadn't even been at Hogwarts for a full day, and it was already more amazing than I had imagined. Even with all of Sev's descriptions. I don't think any description could do Hogwarts justice, I know I would never be able to get my parents to comprehend it. They were too... logical. And Hogwarts was _anything _but logical.

Mary broke me from my train of thought, "Come on," she said, "it's time for classes."

As the girls and I walked down to Transfiguration, I couldn't help wonder what Sev was doing at the moment. I loved Gryffindor and my roommates and everything, but I wish we could have been in the same house. He was my best friend, not to mention my first one in the wizarding world, and we shouldn't have been separated.

Transfiguration started as any class does on the first day of school. The usual talk about how important our education is, and how this class would benefit us in our future. The last twenty minutes of class, Professor MacGonagoll gave each of her students a match. She told us we would have to turn it into a needle, then gave us a demonstration. At the end of the period, only six of us had managed to change our match. Mines, Remus Lupin's, and Vincent's (a boy from Hufflepuff) match had all become silver and slightly pointy on the end. Mary's Sirius Black's, and James Potter's had all completely transfigured their matches into shiny needles. This made me really excited. I was one of the lucky few who had made a change in my needle! Me, a muggle-born! Only six people in my class could do that! Well, technically Peter had changed his too. He had somehow managed to burn his, but that was beside the point. I couldn't wait to tell Sev!

Next we had potions with Professor Slughorn in the dungeons. We had this class with the Slytherins, and Sev and I immediately sat down together and became partners. Our first lesson in this class was an interesting one in deed. We were told to pick a potion- any potion- and brew it. Whichever pair did the most impressive job would get a box of imported chocolates and an invite to the next "Slug Club" party. He explained to us that the Slug Club was only for very talented witches and wizards, and was a way to make important connections with highly influential magical figures. With only an hour and fifteen minutes left of class, he set us to work.

"Let's do something challenging," I told Sev. "Everyone else will do something really easy so they're sure to get it right. It is possible that even if we fail miserably, we might be able to win Slughorn over with our ambition." Sev stared at me as if caught in a trance. I waved my hand in front of his face. "Earth to Sev, Earth to Sev."

"What? Oh, yeah. What about this one?" Sev pointed to a potion in chapter four.

"A sleeping potion, yeah, I've read about those! It looks, simple enough, but I guess I wouldn't really know, being a muggle-born and all."

"Yeah, it's an easy one, I've watched my mum make it before."

With ought another word we set to work. I heated up my cauldron, and Sev pulled out the ingredients. Every so often, Sev would do something that was different than what it said in the book. This concerned me. I always worked by the book, no exceptions. But I decided that Sev knew more than I did, and he had watched his mum make the potion before. Even so, I was skeptical. I made him explain every time what he was doing and why. He was patient, it never seemed to aggravate him. Each time he explained how outdated the book was, and tell me why his way would work better than the book's. The potion turned out perfectly. At the end of class Sev and I walked out sharing imported chocolates and carrying gold-embellished invitations to Slughorn's party Saturday night.

Herbology passed uneventfully. It was mostly a question/answer session to see how much we already knew. Since I had learned all of the course books by heart, I knew almost all of the answers. Alice, a boy from Hufflepuff named Isaac, and I were the main ones to answer, although Remus Lupin did answer quite a few when he wasn't busy shushing Potter and Black.

Lunch came and went, and next was Charms. Out of all my classes so far that day, I liked this one the best. Professor Flitwick was a short, old man with a cheerful disposition. He even made the dull "Welcome to Charms" speech entertaining. He made you want to learn, a quality posessed only by the best of teachers. I could tell already that I would do well in his class.

Next was History of Magic. This turned out to be the most boring class in history (hehe- pun intended!). The lesson itself was actually really interesting. The problem, was the teacher. His name was Professor Binns, and he was the only ghost teacher at Hogwarts. He had this monotone voice that never had the tiniest bit of emotion. He reminded me of my fourth grade math teacher, boring, proper, and dressed in clothes that _might_ have been fashionable in the 16th century. I was in the middle of taking notes, when I noticed a small piece of folded up parchment on the edge of my desk. I frowned at it. Normally, I would ignore the note, I didn't really approve of that form of communication. However, I desperately needed something to take my mind off the lesson, I felt like I had taken some of that sleeping potion Sev and I had concocted earlier. The note read:

_Hello Lily, _

_How are you liking Hogwarts so far? It's so much better than being at home, right? Are you excited for Slughorn's party on Saturday?_

_Sincerely, Severus_

I glanced up at Professor Binns, still reading straight from the book, and wrote back.

_Hey Sev,_

_I love Hogwarts! I do my parents though, and I want to send them a letter tonight. I'm not sure how to though. Can you show me tonight after dinner? Meet me in the Owlery, I heard from Alice that's where you can borrow the school's owls._

_Love, Lily_

Don't get me wrong, I don't love Severus, that's just how I sign all of my letters. I can't help it if it sounds like I'm desperately in love or something.

Sev's reply came very quickly:

_Yeah! I'll meet you there right after dinner tonight! -Sev_

Me again:

_Great! Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you, I'm really excited about Slughorn's party. I've never been to a magical party before, it's going to be so much fun!_

_Love, Lily_

_PS- You did a really great job on that potion._

After that, I had Defense Against the Dark Arts. Professor Merrythought was nice, but not... exciting. I still liked her though. She had long, wavy, gray hair that ended at the middle of her back, and kind, blue eyes that sparkled with wisdom. She seemed to really like me- she called on me for every single question, and by the end of the lesson, Gryffindor had gained thirty points.

Last of all, we had our flying lesson. I wasn't too sure about this one. I didn't like heights very much, but I loved the thrill that roller coasters gave me. I turned out to be a decent flier. Well, I only fell off my broom twice as opposed to falling down nineteen times like Peter. I still didn't fancy flying much though. Not as much as others, at least. The really good flyers in our class were Emily, Marleane, four Ravenclaws whose names I don't know, Potter, and Black. Even on the school brooms (which Alice told me were very slow), they all showed a lot of skill, and it was clear they had flown before. I on the other hand, aside from my falling, managed to bump into every tree but the small (but still very vicious) Whomping Willow.

That night there was another fabulous dinner, and while everyone else trooped up to their dorms, Sev and I headed up to the Owlery. I had already written my letter, but Sev had to show me how to attach it to the owl.

Then, I went back up to my dorm and fell asleep. It had been a great day, and I couldn't wait for more.

A/N: So, did you like it? I know there wasn't much dialogue in this chapter, but what's written in written. I also know that some classes seemed to moving very quickly, like Potions or Transfiguration, but I wanted Lily to have some excitement in her first day of classes! By the way, I hope you like the way I portray Lily, because I realized while writing this that she is a lot like me. So, read and review!


	4. Slughorn's Party

**A/N: Hey, I know I said I was going to try to be good about updating… Yeah, that didn't happen. I've had most of this chapter written for a while, but I haven't finished it or typed it yet. So, if some things at Slughorn's Party don't sound very good, that's because I haven't written them until just now (even though that's what this chapter was named after). Sorry about any mistakes, I was too lazy to go through it. Enjoy!**

My alarm didn't go off, but I automatically woke up at 6:30. I groaned, not wanting to get out of bed, until I realized it was Saturday. Happy I could sleep in today, I drifted back off into my dreamland.

When I finally woke up again, it was 8:52. Feeling refreshed, I got up and took a long shower. Since it was Saturday, breakfast was served longer than usual for those who slept in, and the Great Hall held only half of the students it normally did. I sat down next to Emme, the only one of the girls in my dorm who was already up. She was in the middle of a heated argument with Potter and Black (Yeah, I figured if I called James Potter by his last name, I might as well call his best friend by his last name as well. After all, they are equally annoying). I couldn't follow along, all I could understand was that it was about something called quidditch, whatever that is. This was one of the many disadvantages of not growing up in the wizarding world. Half of the time I didn't know what the students were talking about. I heard words like "Floo Network, quaffle, or Parseltongue," and had no idea what they were talking about.

"What do you think, Lily?" Black asked.

"Huh," I said intelligently. I hadn't been paying attention to their conversation at all, I was too busy tangled up in my own thoughts to care.

"Who do you think has the best chance of getting on the quidditch team next year?" clarified Emme. Or, maybe _clarified_ isn't the right word. I was still as confused as ever.

"What's quidditch?" I asked, only to be met by looks of astonishment.

"You don't know what quidditch is! What has the world come to!" Sirius exclaimed, his hand clutched dramatically over his heart.

"No, I'm muggle-born, so I the only magical stuff I know about I only read of in books."

"Oh, yeah," said Potter, "that's why you needed help at the train station."

I nodded, still waiting for an answer to my question. So Potter launched into a discussion on quidditch (later I found out that what I had learned was an extremely simplified version of the sport). Occasionally, Black and Emme would interject, but it seemed that Potter could not be stopped when talking about his favorite sport.

"And that's basically how you play quidditch," Potter said. Finally, that speech must have been half-an-hour long!

"Wow," I replied, possibly more confused than I was before I knew that quidditch was. "Sounds… complicated."

"It is," said Emme earnestly, "but it's so much fun! I wish first years could try out, but they can't Maybe they think it's too 'dangerous' or something. But I think that's silly! I mean, no one has died in centuries…"

"What! People have died! That sounds insanely dangerous! And they let students play it here! At Hogwarts!: My voice had gone shrill in shock and horror. I couldn't believe the looks they were giving me. As if I were from another planet, or an over-protective mother!

Black gave a defeated sigh. "Just wait 'til you see a game, Lilykins. Then you'll come to your senses. And you still haven't settled our argument. About who is more likely to make it onto the team next year. I know I'm going to make an excellent beater, but these two over here disagree," he told me, gesturing to Emme and Potter.

"Don't call me Lilykins," I said in a slightly annoyed tone.

"I'm trying out for seeker, the one who goes after the snitch. Everyone will be counting on me to end the game." Emme pitched in wistfully.

"And I, of course, will be chaser. They're the ones who score all of the points. If the chaser don't score, then the other team can still win, regardless of who catches the snitch. Plus, there wouldn't be three of them of they weren't important."

There it was again. That stupid, arrogant, superior tone he used when talking to students from other houses, particularly Slytherins. I didn't know what to think of him. Half of the time he was nice, like when he helped me through the barrier or just now when he was explaining quidditch to me. But the rest of the time he could be a down-right bully. He picked on Slytherins, especially Sev and was extremely disrespectful to many of the teachers. I was again yanked out of my thoughts by Sirius's impatient voice.

"Lilykins, you still haven't answered our question." Sirius's face was an inch from my own as I snapped back into reality.

"Ew! Gosh, Black, get away from me!" I retorted. "Well, I'm no expert, but you were all good fliers in lessons this week. I still don't really understand quidditch, so it would probably be a better idea to ask someone who has grown up with quidditch."

As the three bounded off to find someone else's opinion, I spotted Sev heaving the dining hall.

"Hey Sev, wait up!" I called to him.

He stopped until I reached him, one of his ever-so-rare smiles on his face today. The kind of smile that could light up a room. "Hi Lily, how are you doing?"

"I'm good Sev, isn't Hogwarts so much fun?"

"Yeah," he sighed, "it's great."

"I can't wait for Slughorn's party, can you? I heard from a fourth year that the food rivals that of the Hogwarts Welcoming Feast!" TH pasty has been on my mind all week. It's the first big social event I've ever been invited to.

"Well, it's sure to be better than my mother's cooking. She's a complete disaster in the kitchen," said Sev. I threw my head back as I laughed, which seemed to please him. He was forever trying to get me to laugh. He told me it was because he liked my smile so much.

We hung around together for the rest of the day, visiting the lake, talking about the endless amount of homework, and sharing memories of when we were younger. Days in the park, splashing in the small stream near my house, or all of the times we talked about the wizarding world. Around four-thirty I went up to my dorm to change into something nicer for the party.

At 5:53 exactly, I headed down to Slughorn's classroom with Alice and Marlene, for they too had been invited. They were both purebloods, so they had a few connections in the wizarding world that I'm sure Slughorn knew of.

The classroom had been completely transformed. The chairs, tables and even Slughorn's desk had vanished, leaving a rather spacious room. Long banquet tables covered three walls, and in the middle there was a huge dance floor. Since the party had barely begun, there was no one dancing yet. Mostly they were just milling around the tables, picking up food that looked tasty, or at least worth trying, and downing butterbeer. I looked around the room quickly for Sev, and then noticed I couldn't find Alice and Marlene either. Unsure of what to do, I put a proverbial mask over my face, trying to look at ease with my surroundings, and headed over to the least crowded table and began to pile up on my food. I was normally a very persnickety eater, but at Hogwarts, the food was always so wonderful that you ended up loving it no matter what. I swear, they could make dog poop taste good if they wanted to.

After getting only a quarter down the table, my plate was full, and I decided to look around again for anyone I might know. Okay, now I see Alice and Marlene talking to some second year girls over by another table, a few first year students from different houses that I had seen in my classes, but not many. I also saw that Potter boy and Black, but no Severus. Wait-what were Potter and Black doing here? It wasn't as if they had shown talent in front of Slughorn. Sure, they were both good at Transfiguration, but they had created a mess of something in potions that most closely resembled puke-green slime. Hmm, maybe they gate-crashed the party and Slughorn hadn't noticed? Yeah, that seemed plausible. I went over to them to give them a good talking to.

"Potter, Black, what are you doing here?" I said in the most authorities voice I could muster.

"Ooh, last names, you'd better watch out for Professor Evans, 'Potter'," Black said in a horrible, screechy impression of my voice.

"Yes, 'Black', she is quite scary. Next she'll be taking points away from us! And for your information, Evans, we were invited here. Slughorn taught my mum and dad when they were at school. And Sirius here was invited because he is from 'The Nobel and Moste Ancient House of Black' or something to that effect."

"Yeah, what are you accusing us of anyway? Gate-crashing? 'Cause we are way to cool to _not _get invited to parties," added Black.

"In your dreams," I muttered. "Well, just making sure. After you 'accidentally' hit Severus with Wingardium Leviosa in the Great Hall, I don't really trust you."

"Oh, Evans, you're a smart girl. A very, _very_ smart girl." drawled Potter and he and his friend waltzed away.

Hmm, what did he mean by that? He must be planning something…

"Lily! Over here!" called a familiar voice.

"Oh, Sev, there you are. I was looking for you!"

"Is the food good?" Sev gestured to my full plate, which I had forgotten entirely when talking to Black and Potter.

"Oh, actually, I haven't tried it yet. Do you want some… whatever this is?" I said, pointing to a frozen pink lump on my plate. I don't even remember picking that up. That's weird… Well, oh well, there was a lot of food there. I probably just don't remember getting it because I was worried about finding Sev.

"Yeah, sure." He popped it in his mouth. "Hmmm, it's an interesting flavor, like strawberries, coconut, and sweaty socks mixed together. And yet, oddly, it tastes good." Just as he finished saying that, there was a loud BANG! and Severus flew six feet up in the air, and came back down spitting multicolored bits of light from his mouth.

"Sev, Sev! Are you okay? What's wrong? What should I do? Somebody help him!" He was on the ground, screaming, clutching his throat, tears streaming down his face. And that's when I knew something was seriously wrong. Sev never cried. Not even the time Petunia pushed him off a tree branch and he broke his femur. And that's a really hard bone to break.

"Somebody, help him, please!" I yelled, just as Slughorn was rushing to the scene.

"Oh dear, oh my, what should we do?" he cried, clearly frazzled.

"Bring him to the hospital wing!" shouted a student.

"Yes, yes, of course, Lily will you help me bring Severus up to the hospital wing?" he shouted, clearly not thinking straight.

But I knew that wouldn't get him there fast enough. "Sir, you're a wizard! Surely you can levitate him there!"

"Right, right. _Locomotar Severus._"

As I followed them to the hospital wing, I contemplated the scene. I had read many mystery novels, and knew that the criminals would often come to inspect the damage. I mentally flipped through everyone that I had seen from the moment I grabbed my food. And I slowly realized that Potter and Black were near me just before I saw the offending pink lump. And then, there they were, in the crowd, watching me and Sev as I offered him food, with anticipating looks on their faces. And the words Potter had whispered to me. _Oh, you're a smart girl Evans. A very, very, smart girl… _

And with that thought I whipped around, not bothering to explain, and ran full out to Slughorn's dungeons.

"POTTER! BLACK! COME HERE RIGHT THIS INSTANT! YOU DID THAT TO HIM, DIDN'T YOU! YOU DID IT ON PURPOSE, YOU INTENTIONALY HARMED HIM! THAT IS AGGRAVATED ASSAULT, AND I'M SURE THAT PUNISHABLE IN THE WIZARDING WORLD AS MUCH AS IT IS IN THE MUGGLE WORLD!"

The two vile boys came up to me, their heads bowed in shame. "Lily, I swear, we didn't mean for him to get hurt. We just put a wet-start firework in your food. We thought it would explode before anyone tried to swallow it. Honestly, it wasn't a good idea in the first place. It was a lame, childish prank that wasn't well thought out. We didn't think anyone would get seriously hurt. We did it a few times to a salamander and it just whizzed around our dorm. I promise we didn't mean anything. We just it would make a good laugh."

Wow. I didn't expect that, least of all from someone who thought it was a good idea to hurt others for their entertainment. But it didn't matter. My best friend was hurt so badly he was crying, and I wanted to see some punishment.

"You two evil, despicable, ignorant, horrible things that are too emotionless to be called human beings are coming with me right this instant." I said in a deadly whisper, my eyes flashing with fury.

They followed me wordlessly. I pointed them to McGonagall's office. Then I went up to see Severus, knowing they would get the punishment they rightfully deserve. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if I didn't see them tomorrow morning.

**A/N: Okay, I know that you all are probably thinking that James and Sirius would never do something so mean. But it was an accident, and I wanted to show that even the famous Marauders have had pranks go wrong. Actually, in the beginning I thought that they might pull something really innocent and trivial, like ruining Lily's outfit. And I was going to have Severus as Lily to dance. But then this idea popped into my brain and just as fast I had typed it on the screen. I also showed James and Sirius as nice and bullies in this chapter, mostly to show how infuriating they can be. It would explain why Lily didn't like James. In the next few chapters I'm thinking of showing a little more of Remus and Lily becoming friends. Any who, I hope you liked it. And thanks to all that have reviewed. As of right now that is: thekikgeek, Cassia4u, deanthomasgal, gege109, Quail Sandwich, and .02.**


	5. Is he Kidding? A Date?

**A/N: Oh my goodness gracious, it has been EIGHT MONTHS since I updated. I don't really have an excuse, other than I had writer's block. I bet you all forgot about my story, huh? This chapter probably won't be very good because I still haven't been able to get a very good plot going for it, and I've re-written it over ten times. Yuck! Well, onto the story!**

Is it possible for James Potter to be any more annoying and destructive than he is? I didn't think so, but today he topped himself by setting my hair on fire. It had been all the way to my bum, and now its singed edges are only to my shoulders. I don't believe for a minute it was an accident like he claims. He has had too many "accidents" that involve me or Sev to actually believe him this time. For instance, the time Sev and I were sitting under the tree by the lake studying and a giant egg fell on Sev's head. Or when my potion exploded in my face because _someone_ had tripped and spilled an armload of porcupine quills into my cauldron. Now I sat, fuming, as Madame Willowberg, the school nurse, cut my hair to an even length all around.

"There now, it's done," she announced, letting her magic broom and dustpan sweep up the burned hair on the floor. "Don't let him get to you, sweetie, it's exactly what he wants. Trust me; he's been in here enough times for me to know." She gave me a warm smile, and sent me on my way back to Charms.

Most people in our year worship the ground Potter and group of friends walk on. It's rather sickening actually. I don't like any of them one bit. Well, actually, Remus isn't too bad. Sometimes I wonder why he's friends with them, but I guess every group of friends needs someone who's levelheaded.

…

This is turning out to be one of the worst days I've had in my two months so far at Hogwarts. After what my friends like to call the "witch-burning incident," I got a four out of ten on my Transfiguration assignment, and then, I tripped over a fallen first year, causing my books to fly everywhere. I still haven't found my Defense book, and I have an essay due in the morning! But worst of all was what happened at lunch.

"Hey Evans, you're looking good!" shouted Potter as I sat down with my friends, a few feet away from his group.

"Shut up Potter, you've done enough damage today," I shot back. I was a little on edge because of my bad day. Okay, make that _really _on edge.

"Well, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for lighting your hair on fire. If I had known what that spell did, I wouldn't have tried it out on you."

Wait… James Potter being nice? Apologizing? Both looking and sounding sincere? Impossible. And I was right.

"So, I was thinking, to make up for it, we could go on a date, you know? I mean, all the girls want to have a picnic with James Potter by the lake, don't they? I think this is the perfect 'I'm sorry' gift to you," and there was that conceited smirk again. What a butthead.

"Potter," I forced out through gritted teeth, "if you think for a single nano-second that I will _ever_ go out with an arrogant little toe-rag like you, you must be even more stupid than I thought. After you nearly killed my best friend by making him eat a firework, after you dropped a giant egg on his head, after you exploded my potion in my face, after you SET MY HAIR ON FIRE! NO, I WILL NOT GO OUT WITH YOU! JUST GET THAT INTO YOUR BRAIN RIGHT NOW AND GROW UP!"

The Great Hall sat stunned, every single face turned my way in shock, mouths agape. I had never made such a scene before in my life. Normally I was very quiet, unless I was with my friends. And now I was the center of attention in a room full of hundreds of witches and wizards. Crap. And with that thought, I sat back down, finished my lunch, and exited the Great Hall. I refused to look at James, but my friends tell me if I had, I might have seen the flashes of hurt on his face throughout the rest of the day.

**A/N: I know it's really short, but at least it's up. I'll have and super long chapter for you next time, I swear! Just so you know, this is the first time James has ever asked Lily out in this story. Again, I'm sorry that I dropped off the face of the earth! But you know, reviews make my day wonderful! (Hint, hint!) **


	6. Through James' Eyes

**A/N: I honestly probably wouldn't have continued this for a while if someone hadn't reviewed saying that they wanted me too. Thanks for letting me know that you care! **** I am going to try something new, just to spark some inspiration, since I still don't have a single clue what I'm going to write about for this chapter, I'm just going to upload it as soon as I'm done. This chapter will be from James' POV. Wish me luck!**

I watched as Emme and Lily walked into the Great Hall, chatting amiably with one another. I had recently taken to getting down to breakfast earlier so that I could see Lily. It's not like I had a crush on her or anything… I just liked being around her. If only she would relent and be my friend. That stupid Slytherin she hangs out with infuriates me a great deal. If she's friends with a _Slytherin_, why can't she be friends with me? I'm a wonderful person, but I suppose that Lily will just have to realize it later than everyone else.

"So James," said Emme, startling me out of my trance, "how are things going between you and Amy?" She was, of course, referring to my girlfriend, who I had recently procured. She was a pretty second year Gryffindor, short for her age; I was a few inches taller than her, but what she lacked in size she made up for in beauty. She had thick, straight brown hair, large grey eyes, and soft pink lips that always were fixed in a half-smile, sort-of smirk thing.

"Oh, they're great. She's really fun to be with, and amazing at Herbology. She and Alice would get along well. She's really been able to help me in that subject when we study together," I replied.

I watched Lily, who had been intently focusing on her plate and ignoring me, scowl and look up. I knew she thought I was a horrible person, she didn't approve of people dating until they were sixteen, something her parents had instilled in her after they were convinced of the merits of this principle by their neighbor. Of course, I had only learned this after I asked her out. I think that's why she got made when I did, for not knowing that she held herself to a "higher standard" or whatever. I had learned this from Emme, who had become a close friend of the guys (Sirius, Remus, Peter, and I). She spent about as much time with us as she did the girls, so we had a mutual friend. We loved hearing things from her, she was a bit like a double agent for us. She helped us understand how a girl's mind works.

"You know, it's rude to stare," Lily told me, snapping me out of another reverie. I realized I had been staring at her, something I found myself doing a lot lately. Even if I wasn't thinking about her, I would come out of the fog of my thoughts staring at her brilliant hair. I half-wondered if I should feel guilty, since I was going out with Amy, but I shook that thought away. I only wanted friendship from Lily Evans, something she seemed determined not to give me.

Thinking along these lines, I asked, ignoring her statement, "Why am I so special?"

"What?" she asked, utterly confused.

"Why do you treat me differently than everyone else? You're so nice to everyone, why am I the exception?"

I watched as her anger boiled, her pale face turning more and redder by the second as she spit out her words. "For exactly reasons like you just said, asking why you're special. You are so full of yourself, so arrogant. You think you're so special, that everyone loves you. But look around, Potter. Not everyone is eating out of your hand, or doting on you like your girlfriend. Even she has her doubts. She was in the toilets the other day and I heard her telling one of her friends that she may not even like you that way anymore. You've only been together for a month, and she's already getting sick of your act. You might think that you have everyone fooled, but not me. You talk back, disregard rules put there for everyone's safety, you go around bullying people just because you think that you're above them. You aren't an exception, Potter. You're a mistake. And I'm a perfectionist, I despise mistakes. So stop thinking you're so special to me." She got up and left, half of her waffle lying unfinished on her plate.

I don't know how I get her so angry with simple questions. It doesn't make any sense, I'm being serious, not simply trying to annoy her. Granted, I do that a lot, but no one seems to believe that I can be serious sometimes.

"What the heck just happened?" I asked Emme, who was sitting next to me, as stunned as I was.

"I have absolutely no idea. She has an odd dislike for you, James."

"Really now, Emme, I didn't notice that at all. I thought she was madly in love with me."

"You never know," she mused, an odd look on her face, "there's a fine line between love and hate. Both are such strong emotions, you can't have one without the other. You can never hate someone unless you like them first. Maybe she is just disappointed at who you are."

"Who I am? What is that even supposed to mean?"

"It means, James, that maybe she was expecting something else from you. You look like a nice person, but whenever she sees you, you never play that part."

I snorted. Emme was trying to tell me that Lily Evans liked me? Even I wasn't that thick. "You're off your rocker, Emme."

….

Lily's POV **(A/N: I know I said it was going to be in James' POV, but I switched, get over it.)**

I walked into Potions early, still greatly annoyed at Potter. That stupid boy thought everyone worshipped the ground he walked on. He thought he was special, and he wasn't. He was about as special as the newt eyes that would go into today's potion that was up on the board. He may look the part of a prince, but I wonder how he got in Gryffindor. Sure he was "brave," but noble and chivalrous? He would've been better off somewhere else, preferably not at Hogwarts at all. He could rile me up like no one but Petunia knew how to. Thinking of Tuney suddenly put me in a mood even sourer that I had been. She had ignored me more and more over since Sev told me I was a witch, and threw a massive fit when I finally got my letter over the summer. She never responded to my inquiries in my letters home. Why did she hate me so much? Sev said she was jealous, but sometimes I wondered if she actually did hate me, or just the magic in my blood. We used to be best friends, did she think I would abandon her once I got to Hogwarts? I certainly hadn't thought she would do it to me. But maybe she thought I would so she decided to sever our ties first, so she wouldn't be the one who was left behind. Thinking of home and having no one to talk to since Professor Slughorn was in his office, I took out a piece of paper and a pen (my parents couldn't get used to parchment and quills, and I knew it infuriated Tuney even more), I began a letter home.

_Dear Mum, Dad, and Tuney,_

_ I am doing quite well here at Hogwarts. I miss all of you, but Christmas holiday is only in two weeks, so I'll see you then! Classes here are wonderful, although we do have a few difficult tests coming up in some subjects. Potions, for example, but I have Sev to help me on that, he's amazing at everything in Potions class._

_ That stupid boy James Potter that I told you about is still being an utter nuisance. He thinks he rules the whole school, what a nightmare that would be! An eleven-year-old egotistical prat like him running Hogwarts! And not to mention the pranks. He nearly blew up Sev, lit my hair on fire, glued Marlene's shoes to the floor, hexed a swarm of flies to follow Alice, and that's only a few them! He completely disregards the rules, he and his little friends roam around the school after hours, searching for "secret passageways." Honestly, they're all such boys._

_ My new friends (Mary, Marlene, Alice, and Emme, remember them from my earlier letters?) are grand. We have the best of times together in classes, in our dorms, even studying is more fun with them. But Sev still is my best friend. Hanging out with the girls reminds me of my friends back at home, so Sev is a nice tie between my old and new lives._

_ How are things at home? I hope all of you are doing well. Which flowers are in bloom right now? I can never remember. How are things at the university, Dad? I hope those hopeless maths students aren't giving you too much grief. And I hope you are enjoying school as well Tuney. How are your friends? _

_Hoping you are well,_

_Lily_

…_..._

**A/N: Thank you for reading! I would like for you to review, but I can understand if you don't. Have a good day. I will try to do my best to update more quickly. I have a laptop now, so that should speed things up. **


	7. Summer Holidays

**A/N: So I was kinda-sorta hoping that I would get more reviews than I did for my last chapter, so it disheartened me for a bit when I didn't. But on with the story. The school year is almost over, and our friends are about to head home for the summer holidays. Enjoy!**

"I'm going to miss you guys so much!" I exclaimed to my friends. We only had two more days left at Hogwarts and I knew that I was going to miss my dorm mates the whole time. I couldn't even visit with any of them since my family and I were going to the United States for the summer to visit my mother's brother and his wife. I loved my cousins and all, but it would be hard to keep in touch with all of my friends since I don't have an owl.

"I know, it's almost going to be weird at home, not having anyone besides my parents living with me," remarked Alice with a note of sadness.

"Well, we'll all just have to write, won't we," said Mary in a voice that clearly said this wasn't just a suggestion.

"But I don't have an owl," I reminded them.

"So? We'll just send you letters and you can send them back using our owls. It works perfectly," said Marlene with a smile.

"Thanks guys, you're awesome. I really am going to miss you. I don't think my sister is very glad that I'm coming home. She was really mad at me when I left, and even over the holidays she was rather cold to me. I'd pick you guys over her any day," I told them.

"Aww, thanks Lily," they all chorused as we group-hugged.

…

We were on the train-ride back, my mates and I laughing at Emme as she tried jelly-bean after jelly-bean. She would comment on each flavor, making it all the better.

"And here we have… erg, a _lovely _soap-flavored bean! It just washes the taste of that dirt one right out of my mouth," she said with a grimace.

"Here, try this one," I said, handing her a bean that kept changing colors.

"Wow, these are so rare! It's the ultimate Every-Flavor Bean! It changes flavors every two seconds, going through as many of their flavors as it can before you swallow it! Does anyone else want it? I don't want to hog it all," Emme said, an excited look on her face. No one wanted to burst her excitement, so we let her have it.

"No, it's cool Emme, you have it. Just tell us what it's like!" Mary replied enthusiastically.

"Cool, thanks! Here it goes! Oh yum, sherbet—grass—earwax—chocolate—sardines, gross! Oh nasty, I think that was vomit. Oooh, but that was pineapple—grape—pepper—okay I'm done now! Getting vomit twice is enough for me," she said as she swallowed and we all cracked up.

Just then a knock came on our compartment door. We had the window pulled down, so Marlene had to open the door.

"Hi girls. Just thought I'd stop by. Do you mind if I have a word with Lily?" he asked, shifting uncertainly.

"It's Evans to you, Potter. But yes, I'll deign to speak with you. Excuse me for a moment, girls. If I'm not back within ten minutes send out a search party for me. Who knows what kind of hexes he wants to try out before we get home and can't use magic anymore," I replied coldly.

Stepping out of the compartment, I followed Potter to another one, an empty one at the front of the train where nobody wants to sit because the candy lady always shushed you.

"Listen, Li—Evans. I wanted to apologize for being such a prick this year. I'd rather not go home and tell my parents that I'm enemies with a fellow housemate, so can we just settle on a neutral ground? Not friends, not enemies? I mean, if you want to be friends, that's cool with me, I just—"

"You're rambling Potter," I said, cutting him off. It was actually kind of funny. He looked really nervous. His eyes were shifting colours, between green and brown, like they couldn't quite decide on just one. I remember how when I first saw him I though his eyes were the colour of caramel. Now I think they're more hazel. Wait, why am I contemplating his eye colour? I don't even like him. But I guess it wouldn't hurt to try not hating him for once. "Sure Potter. But we aren't friends. You'd have to actually be a decent person if you wanted to be my friend," I responded, putting out a little light in his eyes as I did so. But it quickly hardened into anger.

"Then why does Snape get to be your friend? He's a right git you know. And Gryffindors never associate themselves with Slytherins. They're pure evil, every single one of them." James didn't raise his voice, but there was a steely tone to it now that wasn't there before. Marauder

"Oh, like you're so high and mighty. You and your friends off marauding everywhere, thinking you're so cool and clever. And Sev is a decent person. He's actually nice to me, unlike you, and he was the one who told me about magic and who helped me to understand the wizarding world. And for your information, Potter, it quite plainly states in Hogwarts a History that Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin were the best of friends until they had a falling out," I told him, my hot head clouding my better judgment, and my voice starting to get a little louder than it should have.

"So you're just trying to repeat history then? Because a Gryffindor and a Slytherin have never managed to stay friends for very long. So you and Snape are eventually going to have a 'falling out' whether you like it or not. Have you seen the people he hangs out with when he's not with you? Of course not, because whenever he's within twenty feet of you, he's right by your side because he fancies you!" James said, his voice still at the even tone we had first been speaking at. For some reason, the fact that his voice was till quiet irked me even further.

"Sev and I will never stop being friends! Just because you're jealous doesn't mean you have to be so mean, Potter. And he does NOT fancy me. We're just friends. Now how about you move your butt somewhere else while I go back to people whose company I actually enjoy!" I yelled that last part as the compartment door banged open, the candy cart lady giving me the evil eye and my friends walking towards me, a few compartments down.

…

"Mom! Dad! Tuney! It's so good to see you guys!" I exclaimed, hugging them each in turn after I had crossed the barrier. They couldn't cross without someone magical holding onto them, so they had to wait on the other side for me with all of the other muggleborns' parents.

"Lily, it's good to see you too!" my mother said warmly, "Let's go home, shall we?"

"Of course, Mom! I want to see the new paint colour in the kitchen you wrote me about!" I said excitedly.

In the car, I sat next to Tuney. I tried to make some conversation, but everytime I tried, it just sputtered out within a few minutes. She managed to call me a freak of nature four times, insulted my clothes twice, and insinuated that I was probably a friendless loser, even at a school for freaks. Sometimes I really think she hates me.

…

I was at home unpacking my things I my room when I heard a tap at my window and looked to see a large tawny owl there. Thinking it must be one of the girls, I ran to unlatch the window and let the bird inside. Untying the letter from its leg, I realized I didn't recognize the handwriting. I decided to open it anyways and was shocked to see it was from Potter.

_Dear Evans,_

_ I hope you don't throw this away when you open it and see it's from me. Before you do, hear me out please. I think our argument may have set us back to "enemies." And my parents insisted that I make up with you since apparently people in my house may become "lifelong friends that you are very fortunate to have later on when you need help at a tough time in life" or something to that effect. So yeah, I have to tell you I'm sorry again. So I'm sorry for insulting your choice in friends. Ta-da, I apologized. Happy now?_

_Sincerely,_

_James Potter_

That boy is probably the most bi-polar person I've ever met. He pranks people and argues with them and then apologizes for his actions. And boys say girls are confusing. It's like he has two personalities fighting for the spotlight. It seems like the one that makes him act like a prat is more dominant though. Which is a shame. He is genuinely nice to be around when he's not acting like that. I quickly penned my reply before his owl got bored and left.

_Potter,_

_ I suppose we could go back to being non-enemies. You didn't sound very sincere in your apology, but at least you actually did, even if your parents forced you to. _

_-Lily Evans_

…

Staying with my aunt and uncle has made me so bored that I feel like if I were a fox and their house was a metal trap, I would chew off my leg to get away. My cousins, ages four and seven, were constantly asking for me to braid their hair or colour pictures of different Disney princesses. As much as I loved them, I wished desperately that I was back home, hanging out at the park with Sev or visiting one of my friends. Thankfully no one noticed the owls that kept coming to my room, carrying letters to and from my friends. Even Sev managed to borrow his mom's owl and send me a letter every so often. I was glad when we finally went home. I've never liked planes much, since I'm not a fan of heights (Madam Hooch can attest to that), but this one was like heaven, getting to go back home was wonderful. And soon it was time for me to go back to Diagon Alley to buy my new school supplies.

…

"Hurry, Sev! Let's go get our books! And then I want to get an owl!" I said excitedly. "I talked to my parents and everything and they said I could get one, since I'm not home enough for it to really be a bother and I could just let it out if it did," I said, speaking very quickly. Sev smiled at my excitedness, he always thought it was fun to see me experience magical things.

"Sure Lily, right away. As long as we stop by the Apothecary, I need new potions ingredients," he said. We had already taken care of everything else; new robes, parchment, quills, and ink, and only had to buy our books and potions things before we were free to roam around. Once we got everything we needed, we went to go buy my owl.

"Lily, what do you think of this one?" Sev asked me, pointing to a large tawny owl with eyes the colour of night. He had an air of disdain about him that made me uneasy.

"No, he makes me nervous. How about this one?" I ask. He was a little scrawny, but he was beautiful. He had dark brown feathers and his eyes were the most unusual I'd ever seen, a beautiful hazel colour that had golden specks. I loved him from the moment my eyes laid on him. This bird seemed very nice, but almost mischievous. He emitted mirth and I loved it. Before Sev could say anything, I asked the shop owner if he could let the bird out of its cage for a moment so I could see how I interacted with it.

I watched as the bird flew out of its cage, looking quite proud of itself. I'm not quite sure how it's possible for me to read these animals so well, but owls are quite intelligent, so I didn't dwell on it. I gestured for the owl to land on my arm, and it immediately complied, cooing affectionately and rubbing its head against mine lovingly.

"I'll take him," I told the owner. The bird lifted off my arm and flew around my head excitedly. He was really cute and quite a sweet animal. I could tell we were going to be lifelong friends.

…

Sev was quite while we ate our ice cream cones. He had gotten vanilla and chocolate swirl, while I had opted for a more daring combination of peanut butter and strawberry. I had been thinking about my upcoming year at Hogwarts when Sev broke our companionable silence.

"Lily, have you heard about a bloke who's calling himself Voldemort?" he asked, like he was still in another world, but suddenly turned his black eyes towards mine in a piercing gaze.

"Not really," I admitted, shrugging. "I think I heard some other kids mention him once or twice, but I don't really know much about him," I said, thinking back to when I had passed some sixth years in the hall who looked very worried and whispered about some strange man called Voldemort.

"He's a wizard who thinks that only pure-bloods should be allowed at Hogwarts. Or anywhere. He says the magical community is getting contaminated, weaker, and that it needs fixing," he said, his voice taking on a weird tone.

"Well that's stupid. I'm a muggleborn and I'm top of our class, I'd hardly call that weakening," I said angrily. Who did this man think he was, to say that I shouldn't have magic?

"You're right, he's an idiot. He can't be right if someone as wonderful as you is a muggleborn," he said as we got up and walked to the door to find his mother. "You're perfect," he added in a whisper to himself that I don't think I was supposed to hear.

**A/N: So I made a pretty long chapter! At least, long by my standards. I hope you enjoyed this story, it was mostly just a filler until they get to Hogwarts and I'll actually have some more interesting things planned. Let's see how long James and Lily can keep up this "non-enemy" status with one another, huh? **** I'm thinking of doing a one-shot on them in their seventh year, since I really want to write about that time but I haven't even started second year yet. What do you think? Review please, or else I'll find out a way to charm butterflies to become man-eating monsters and I will set them out to find your and disable your Wi-Fi so you won't ever be able to read fanfiction again! Mwahahaha, I'm so evil XD Anyhow, I really would like a review or two (or three or four, you get my drift). **


	8. Love Triangles

**A/N: Although once again I seemed to only have sparked the reviews of deanthomasgal and MeRoNa, whom I thank wholeheartedly, I have decided I shall update again. So let's see what my brain cooks up for this chapter. I don't know if you've noticed, but I tend to simply start writing with no premonitions on what will transpire within the chapter, hit spell check when I'm done, and then publish. I should probably come up with some sort of plan for the plot, but oh well. **

Lily's POV

"Hey Lily, I think you dropped your Potion's essay," remarked Remus as we sat together in the library. I had decided I could tolerate his company, especially when studying. He was always willing to lend a hand to me in Transfiguration or Defense, his two best subjects. And in return I helped him with Charms and Potions, the rest of our classes we were about equal in. If it had been only a few weeks ago, I would have never agreed to study with anyone other than Severus or the girls, but Sev and I had gotten into a bit of an argument and the girls simply lacked the concentration to study for long periods of time.

"Thanks Remus. You've got some ink on your nose, did you know?" I mentioned absently whilst looking through my Herbology book. He unsuccessfully tried to rub it off, only making the spot larger. I sighed and pulled out a small mirror that I kept in my bag in case one of the girls had a freak-out moment where they absolutely _needed_ to make sure their hair looked okay. Alice and Marlene in particular had gotten more sub-conscious about their appearance this year.

I hand the mirror to him and as he tries to wipe off the offending mark, I notice the dark bags under his eyes are more prevalent than ever. He always looks so tired, he really should get more sleep. But he always goes up to his dorm by nine unless he isn't done with homework yet, which is rare.

"Thanks Lily," he says awkwardly, the black smudge now gone from his face. And we once again fall into the companionable silence broken only by the occasional question or breaking of a quill. And this is the bloke Emme fancies…

…

"So Lily, do you fancy anyone?" Alice asks me while painting her nails Gryffindor red with golden flowers. The first quidditch match of the season was in two days, and all of us, though Emme in particular, were excited, as Gryffindor would be playing against Ravenclaw, and they won the Quidditch Cup last year.

"Merlin, no," I said, noticing my use of wizarding slang. Instead of unfamiliar and awkward in my muggle-born mouth, the words tasted comfortable, like they belonged there. "I mean, that doesn't mean I don't find anyone _attractive_," I said, pulling on my pajama top unnecessarily, "but I wouldn't say that I fancy anyone. Not that Alice can say the same," I noted, a teasing tone replacing my previously defensive one.

"Oh, bugger off. You would fancy Gregory too if you got to sit next to him in Transfiguration. That boy is brilliant," she gushes. Alice always seems to have a different crush every week. But they never amount to much, so we aren't worried—yet.

"I highly doubt it," I say in an off-handed tone. "He goes fishing for compliments too much. He'll say something about how shoddy his wand work is, and then someone will butt in and tell him he's brilliant when he already knows it."

Just as Alice looks like she's about to reply in a none too lady-like fashion, Mary butts in. "Okay you too, don't you have another row about Alice's crush-life," she reprimands in a comically motherly tone. We all laugh at her use of the word "crush-life" since Alice has never worked up the courage to do anything about her various objects of affection. Not that she should, anyway. She's only twelve, for Merlin's sake, and I personally think that people should wait until they're a bit older to date. More maturity and all that.

"Fine," Alice pouts melodramatically. But she doesn't let my earlier comment go unnoticed. "So Lily, who do find, I believe you said, 'attractive,' hmm?" she says, enjoying the blush on my face.

"Well there's this one muggle bloke who lives on my block, but we haven't talked in years. And I suppose Potter and Black are good-looking enough, though I can't say the same for their personalities," I say, my blush starting to fade from my face. But it looks like the girls are determined are determined to keep my face the same colour as a tomato—and this time it's Emme that causes my blush to come back.

"Oh, wait 'til James hears this! Lily Evans, the one who rejected his hazel eyes and unruly hair, thinks he's good-looking! Oh, he's going to have a field day!" she says gleefully, and I can't tell whether or not she's just teasing or if she really is going to tell Potter that I think he's cute. The thought of that sends me into a panic.

"No! You can't tell Potter that! What happens in this dorm _stays_ in this dorm! You're the one who came up with that rule when you told me you fancy-" at this point Emme leapt up and slammed her hand over my mouth. She didn't have to do that, I was going to stop myself there anyway. I had realized that I had gone too far. I knew by her face that she was desperately hoping she wouldn't be questioned on my words, but we both knew that a comment like that wasn't going to be left alone. I gave her an apologetic look as Marlene and Alice squealed.

"Emme! You _fancy_ someone! I never would've guessed! Oh, is it one of the Gryffindor boys, you're always hanging around them—"

"Goodness gracious, will you all stop pestering the poor girl! If she wanted you to know, she'd told you by now. Maybe she didn't want to say anything because she was afraid of such a reaction as this," Mary said pointedly. She sounded like she was speaking from personal experience, though I think I'm the only one who caught that. I filed that possibility away for some time when I could speak to her later, without the other girls present.

…

Mary and I were walking alongside the lake the next day, the other girls either in the common room or the library finishing up the Transfiguration essay we had both finished last week. We watched some first years run around in the fall leaves, reminding me of a day last year when Sev and I had done the very same thing. The memory brought a smile to my face. We walked in silence for a while before Mary brought up the very topic I had come out with her to discuss.

"You know I like someone, don't you?" she said, defeat laced into her words. She had clearly been trying to keep this secret for some time now.

"I have my suspicions," I admitted, "but you just confirmed them," I said, shooting her an understanding glance.

"Darn. I was hoping I was better at hiding it than I thought," she muttered, almost to herself, but loud enough for me to hear and comment on.

"Well no one else had figured it out, have they? Not Alice, Marlene, or Emme," I say, ticking off one of my fingers for each girl's name. "I'm just annoyingly perceptive," I remark, a bit of a smile on my face. Sev always said I could read everyone like a book, and no one could read me. Which was generally how I liked it. No one could get to me that way unless I let them in.

"I suppose you're right," she sighed, defeat still evident in her voice. "If I tell you, will you swear you won't tell the girls? I don't want them getting involved, they'd just make a scene if they find out. I'll probably tell theme eventually, just, not yet." Her tone is very final and resigned, and I can't help but finding the mood of this odd.

"Mary, is there a reason that you don't want people to know? You seem awfully sad about me figuring you out," I say. My confusion must have manifested itself in my words, and she explains.

"I know Emme told you who she likes, she told me as well. And I just can't have her knowing that… That I like him too. He's sweet and smart and isn't like the rest of his friends at all. He doesn't bully and he doesn't condone their behavior. I don't understand why he hangs with them at all…" she trails off, looking rather sad as she sees me realize exactly who she likes. "And Emme is so pretty, I just don't think I'll be able to compete with that, not to mention she is actually friends with him."

I wrap Mary in a hug as her eyes well up. I had come to realize that Mary felt emotions a lot more strongly than the other girls. She sees a flash of annoyance in your eyes and quietly assumes you despise her. Or she reads a story and the main character's dog dies and her eyes are puffy for a week. Or you accidentally use her shampoo without her permission and suddenly she clams up because she feels like you betrayed her trust. I knew she didn't want to feel this way. She had backed me up when I had said most boys were unbelievably annoying. I guess it just took her until she found the one that wasn't too annoying for her to unleash her feelings. I understood that she felt as if she was betraying one of her best friends, but she still really liked Remus.

"Don't worry, Mary. I don't think you're a bad person just because you fancy the same bloke as Emme. You just have… similar tastes I suppose. A testament to your friendship, something you could bond over," I say, trying to make her feel better. She gives me a weak smile, which I took for encouragement to continue. "Listen, Mary. Don't beat yourself up over it. One, you're twelve, so it shouldn't really be an issue yet. And two, you're just as pretty and nice as Emme is! Just because you're more, er, introverted, doesn't mean you don't have the same shot as she does." I really want her to soak in what I'm trying to say to her.

"Thanks, Lily. I'm glad I told you. I guess I just feel like a rotten friend since Emme liked him first. And we both know that the other girls are going to find out about her interest soon. Just, don't slip up with my secret like you did hers, okay?" I knew she wasn't one to trust easily. But her comment didn't shame me, as it probably should've. I was happy that I was her confident, the one she trusted enough to tell her secret to. And though I knew she wasn't in an easy place, I was glad I could talk to her. I love my friends dearly, they're better siblings to me than Tuney now. And I was able to cheer her up a bit, which we were both glad of. It felt good to know I had helped someone, and that I would be able to in the future as well.

…

"Hey Sev!" I said brightly as we met up for the quidditch match the next day. Since this game wasn't a Gryffindor vs. Slytherin match, we had agreed to sit together to watch the first match of the season. I knew Sev secretly wished that he could fly half as well as the players on the field, if only because I admired them for their skill. I was absolutely hopeless on a broom, but instead of being jealous, I settled for appreciation of people who could actually fly.

"Hey Lily! Excited for the match?" he asks, looking into my eyes as if the answer were held there. I had begun to notice recently that he never asked me a question simply because it was polite, he always was genuinely interested in the answer. If only my Gryffindor mates could see this side of him. None of them understand why I hang out with him, and make no effort to conceal that from me.

"Yeah, Sev. I'm hoping that Gryffindor can win this match with Jun Chang and Madeline Franck graduated now. How about you? Excited?" I smile as he replies. He's rooting for Gryffindor today, though he doesn't like most of the others besides me much. I think it's because the Slytherins are bitter that they lost the Cup to Ravenclaw last year. That and our friendship keeps him rooting for the same side as me, Gryffindor/Slytherin matches exempt of course.

My reply is lost in the roar of the commentator's voice. This year it's some Ravenclaw fellow, which should be interesting, seeing Ravenclaws are known for their wit. My predictions prove correct, as he analyzes each play accurately, instead of just commenting on the score and how hot the girls are, like last year's commentator. The guy isn't too biased, which is refreshing as well.

Gryffindor plays really well, and by the end of the game, everyone is jumping up and down in their seats. Unfortunately, they seem to be cheering Potter's name. He made it onto the Quidditch team this year as a Chaser, and has been bragging about it since. It's pretty rare for a second year to make the team, so it was impressive, but it becomes less and less impressive each time it's used to put himself above everyone else. He's so arrogant sometimes.

…

It was late at night, and I couldn't fall asleep. I kept thinking about the dilemma between Emme and Mary. Not that Emme knew there was anything wrong. All she could do know that everyone knew was gush about Remus. I always kept my eye on Mary at these times. She would play the role of the listening friend, but every now and then she would say something snarky and she was even quieter than usual. And Mary was shutting Emme out, making Emme confused and hurt. She didn't have a clue what was going on. She wasn't doing any of it on purpose, she didn't mean to stab a knife into Mary's back with every word she said about Remus.

And I also knew Mary didn't want to be mad at Emme, she just couldn't help it. She didn't want to be around someone who felt as strongly about Remus and she did. And I was just caught in the middle of all of this, not really a part of it, but I was. What I wanted to do was figure out if Remus liked either of the girls, just for my own knowledge. With this thought in mind, I was finally able to fall asleep, dreaming about a scrawny stranger with beautiful hazel eyes…

…

_Hey Remus_, I wrote in my enchanted notebook. Normally we used these just for communication about homework questions, but today I was determined to use it to figure out if he had a crush. And if so, who it was.

_Hi Lily, _he wrote back. _Do you need help with the Transfiguration assignment?_

_No, I actually think I've got it this time. __ And unless you need help with anything, I was hoping we could just talk. For instance, what's up with Sirius? Ever since he broke up with Hannah last week, Emme says he's been acting weird._

_ They've always been friendly, you know that. But if you keep it between you, James, and me, we think he fancies her._

Now I was intrigued. I had only been trying to use this as a conversation starter, but I was going to have to figure this all out now. _Oooh, really? Why do you think that?_

_ It just seems like it to me. _Well that was real helpful Remus. Merlin, guys are so dense sometimes.

_Very specific. Hope you caught the sarcasm there. __ So how do you feel about this? _This is what I really wanted to know. If he acted a certain way, then it would clue me in on whether or not he likes Emme or Mary or neither.

_I don't know what to think, I've had so much homework this week._ Interesting… he seems to have avoided my question…

_ That's not a good enough answer._

_ Sorry, we just have that huge test tomorrow in Charms. _Gosh, take a hint Remus!

_That's lovely. You didn't answer my question. Again._

_ What's your question? _I did a face palm, which probably would've looked odd if anyone had been in the dormitory. But everyone else was in the library or taking a walk outside, so I had the place to myself.

_What do you think about the possibility of Sirius liking Emme?_

_ I think it's highly probable. _Yes, I understand that, you idiot. I'm trying to figure out if you like her! Sigh… guys are so dense.

_Yes, but… What's your reaction to him liking her? Doesn't that make any sense?_

All I got in response was: _…. _SUCH. A. GUY.

_Gosh Remus! Do you think it is good, bad, etc., that he likes her?!_

_ Well I'm not really into this gossip stuff so I don't care that much of who everyone likes. _Still not what I was looking for Remus. But I'll try a different tactic.

_You are no fun. __ Fine, if you don't want to talk about other people… What about yourself? _

_ What about myself? _Well, you see Remus, judging from the context of our conversation so far… I WANNA KNOW YOU WHO FREAKING LIKE!

_Anything. What hair length you like best, your favorite type of ice cream, who you fancy, etc… _

_ My favorite ice cream is strawberry. _I'm going to slap you so hard! Grrr….

Guess I'm going to have to be even blunter than my previous message. _That's wonderful. Do you fancy anyone?_

_ I'm not going to tell anyone. _Wait, so he does fancy someone! :D

_So you do like someone then? _

_ Yes. _I did a little happy dance around my room. Remus John Lupin had a crush on somebody!

_Okay, fine then. I understand not wanting to tell people stuff like that… But by the way it's not like I would tell anyone I'm a really good secret keeper. Will you at least describe her? Just a few words?_

_ Nope. _Butt-head.

_Come on, please? Just three words why you like her? _

_ I just do. _Stupid Remus, you found a loophole! You can't do that. You're supposed to say something all sweet about the girl you fancy! Work with me here…

_ YOU ARE SUCH A GUY! PLEASE will you tell me if she a Gryffindor or not?_

_ I will not tell you anything._

_ I'll be your best friend… _Who doesn't love the classic primary school bribes? _Please why won't you tell anyone? Why won't you tell me? I pinky swear I will not tell ANYONE_

_ I'm still not going to tell you. _Have I mentioned recently that I want to strangle him?

_Have you ever told anyone about your crushes before? Or will you tell me someone you've liked in the past?_ Maybe if he'll tell me that, I'll be able to get more insight.

_I haven't told anyone any of my crushes. _Oooh, so he's liked **multiple** girls. :D

_Have you ever had classes with her? _This is a pretty easy one, as long as she's in our year the answer will be a yes. But you never know, he could have his eye on one of the older or even younger girls.

_I will not be cooperative,_

_ You're a butt-face. _

_ That's okay with me. I'm still not telling you anything._

_ How about I get to ask one name, you tell me yes or no if you like them, and I won't bother you about any other names._

_ Fine. _Wait, seriously? I didn't think that would actually work!

_Do you like Mary? _I questioned, half of me wanting him to say yes and the other half of me wanting him to say no.

_ Nope, different girl. _Well, there is still hope for Emme, I thought.

_Okay, but is she in our year?_

_ Yes._

_ Am I friends with her?_

After I didn't get a response for fifteen minutes, I figured he wasn't go to answer that one, so I moved on.

_How many letter are in her first name?_

_ Her real name or her nickname? _He asked me, making me very excited. Emme was short for Emmeline, I really hoped it was her since he didn't like Mary.

_Nickname._

_ Yeah, she doesn't go by her real name. _Well, generally people who have nicknames have them for a reason, Remus.

_May I ask another name? _ I pleaded, sure it was Emme this time.

_Yes but you better believe I won't say yes or no._

_ Fine then, I won't ask. What about hair color? And you never answered my question about her name._

_ I won't answer I've told you enough. _Oh, so you're choosing to close back up NOW?! Guys are so infuriating!

_Not even the name/nickname one? _

_ I will say that I used to like Mary. But don't tell anyone! _Yes! :D That should make Mary happy to hear.

_Alright, don't worry. I'm good at keeping secrets. When and how long for though? _

_ At the very end of last year, but not very long because of summer holiday and such. _

_ She's a great girl. _ What I really wanted to say was that I thought it was very cute, but I didn't think he would want to talk to me after that… But it ended up being a waste of time anyhow. The girls were returning from the library and then he wrote telling me "_Sorry to end this interrogation but I'm going to go to sleep." _But this "interrogation" was FAR from over.

**A/N: Howdy! :D So I started this like three weeks ago and then didn't finish until today… Ooops! **** Sorry about that. **** Anyhow, hoped you liked it. **** Also, if you'd like to check out my blog— .com you are welcome to! **


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